June 15, 2009

"H" is for Hemerocallis...which is the perennial species most in flower in my garden for this June Bloom Day. I have lost count of how many different varieties I have and most of their names are lost to me as well. I just enjoy what comes up.

"H" is for Historical...

as in this is not the historical Yorktown Onion that I thought I was planting, rather it is Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum). However, I am OK with that as my son has already told me he wants to eat it, and technically it is in his garden.

"H" is for Hemo...as in the Greek word root for blood, as in Blood Flower, one of the common names for this tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). It is a great butterfly (and aphid) attractor which we carry at work in an inexpensive cell-pack for $1.38, so I bought 3. I have grown them now for three years, and last year I was disappointed that they all came out yellow. But if you look for foliage that has a tinge of bronze to it, the flowers will come out two-toned. "H" is for Honey Bees...who have been enjoying the Black and Blue Salvia (Salvia gauranitica 'Black and Blue')."H" is for Heady...which describes the fragrance coming from the August Beauty Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides 'August Beauty'). When is someone going to come up with a cake that tastes as good as this plant smells? "H" is for Hell Strip...which is where the next two plants not only survive, but thrive. Hell Strips are the little patches of soil between the sidewalk and the street where plants are subjected to lots of heat from the pavement. The first picture is Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), and the second is Malva sylvestris 'Zebrina'. Both of these came up from seed I did not plant, in fact the Malva comes up in nearly any crevice or crack in the sidewalk. Anything willing to grow under such conditions - I just let be."H" is for Hate...as in I hated waiting 10 years for this Clivia miniata to bloom. "H" is also for Hate Speech which is what you do when you use the common name for this plant, Kaffir Lily. Kaffir is a racially abusive term to describe Africans. It originated from the Arabic word kafir, which means heathen or non-believer, but eventually became a more offensive term in the mouths of Europeans. Who knew that using common plant names could be so politically incorrect? I'll stick to Clivia. "H" is for Hazy, Hot and Humid...which describes our typical summer weather. This is fortunate for one of my newest plants, Rudbeckia maxima. According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, this plant likes hot humid weather, I am not sure about the hazy part."H" is for Hydrangea...which are competing for my attentions with the Hemerocallis.Finally, "H" is for our Hostess...

who happens to be Carol at May Dreams Gardens, and who I would like to thank for coordinating all these crazy gardeners, myself included.

H is for hooray...your garden blooms are wonderful...you've used up the h words! I adore spider daylilies and if I could dig past the remaining limestone I would have more sun loving lilies and perennials! Have a great day Les! gail

Very clever post Les. Thanks for the link. That one Hemerocallis with the white (cream) edge is striking. Love it! I have that Malva sylvestris -- it was planted at Monticello and was about 6 feet tall. Mine aren't. I ended up pulling up all of them a couple years ago as they had rust spot. bummer. My Black and Blue is coming up, but not blooming yet, hope later in the summer. Happy Bloom Day to you.by the way..my Clivia didn't bloom at all this year. boo hiss

Now I know why Echinacea hasn't thrived in my garden - I treat it too well, I thought it was a proper flowerbed plant that needed cossetting! I've got Malva too, growing just like you say it does between the cracks. Gorgeous Hemerocallis, thanks for sharing them.

I was priding myself on conquering my Daylily addiction, then you had to go and show that blue-eyed plant not once, but twice. Not fair! Your Hydrangeas are gorgeous, so lush and blue, so different from my pathetic mopheads.

Very creative concept to tie all those plants together. I've heard the word kafir used as a racial epithet in movies and yet I had not really made that plant connection, so thanks. It is those little words used thoughtlessly that can cause the most pain.

Gail,The spider is in my son's part of the garden. He likes them better than the regulars.

Helen,I am looking forward to showing you my tiny patch of soil.

Janet,I wish I could tell you the name of the daylily, but I only know a few.

Bek,I wish more of my flowers were accidents. It seems like the more I want something and the more I baby it, the more likely it is to die.

Chris and Jon,Thanks for stopping by, you are welcome to return anytime.

Phillip,Thanks for the compliment. I will try not to get a swollen head.

Pam,I kept thinking of Sesame Street as I was writing it. I just didn't have a number for a sponsor to go with the "H".

Racquel,It surprises me that my B&B is so far ahead of yours. I know there is a slight difference in where you live, but really it is not that far away.

Scattered,Thanks for crossing the pond to visit. I have tried several of the new Echinaceas and coddled them. None of which are with me today. The species does best for me and seeds itself marvelously.

MMD,That daylily is one of the few I know the name of. It is 'Web of Intrigue'. It is a very vigorous one that increases rapidly.

Linda,I did not know about the word until I was doing some research for the post, it stopped me in my tracks. Apparently it is the equivilent of the "N" word in S. Africa. In their defense, the Europeans began using the word in a more innocent manner, but that is not how it was taken by the people it referred to.

Sylvana,If that is your real name it is lovely. I really like hydrangeas and could not imagine gardening without them.

Dee,Thanks for stopping by and the happiest of bloom days to you as well.

Sweet Bay,I am sorry for the lack of names, but I will tell you what I know. #4 is 'House of Orange', #7 is 'Milk Chocolate' and #8 and #9 are 'Web of Intrigue'.

You ever find yourself throwing chunks of those daylilies on the compost pile, toss 'em in a box and send them my way. Honestly, they're not my favorite plants. Until the start flowering. (They're rampant along the roadsides here.) And when they do, I ask myself, 'Why do I only have half a dozen varieties?'

Great plants and photos, as always, Les. I've been enjoying all of these "H's" lately as well, in my garden and in those of others. My happiest hour this week was spent wandering with Pam Harper among her magnificent collection of Hydrangeas until it was too dark to see anything except H. quercifolia 'Snowflake'. And I have an enormous orange clivia purchased for me as a birthday present from your nursery 35 years ago; it blooms faithfully every year, but is now the very devil to move in and out of the garage every year. Waiting for the seedlings to bloom (I've grown lots, including yellows and latifolia types this way) is tedious, but worth it!

Dreamybee,Thanks for stopping by. Those two are some of my favorites as well.

Craig,I will be sure to let you know if I am giving any away. They are roadside weeds here as well, but only the orange ones. Not only are they referred to as ditch lilies, but also as outhouse lilies.

Anna,Thanks for stopping by. I wish I could help you with the Lo and Behold.

Sweet Bay,You are welcome. Each year I tell myself I will take them to work and have some of the ladies I work with who are in the Daylily Societ I.D. them. But I never do.

Jeff,Pam Harper was in the store several weeks ago and we had a nice conversation about the Ophiopogon that was named for her. Although, she said it already had a perfectly acceptable name. I did not have the nerve to invite myself over for a visit. I have never been and would relish it. My Clivia came from one Linda Pinkham was growing. I was over their house about 10 years ago to help move some furniture and she gave me a small piece, and the young man who helped me got a huge piece. At the time I said to myself "he's going just let that Clivia die". I hope I was wrong.

I love the Rudbeckia maxima - it gets so tall and bright. Mine has had good years and bad years and I've haven't a clue why (actually, this year we've gotten good rain and it didn't bloom - the foliage looks great though). Any ideas?

Your hydangeas are gorgeous - I haven't tried any of the Halo Series - yours look tempting! My lacecaps and Ayesha have been a bit strange this year - I think a late freeze might have nipped some of the flowers - some of them are only blooming on the bottom branches (which were probably protected somewhat). I haven't had this happen before.

I'm with you on the daylily - I think it's most appropriate to make up your name for them, or simply call them 'that yellow one with a deep maroon inside' - that's the best name don't you think?